Skimmer for blast-furnaces.



CHARLES D. IRVIN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SKININIER FOR BLAST-FURNACES.

Specification of Lettere Patent.

Application filed August 1B. 1906. Serial No. 330,848.

Patented April 2 3, 1907.

To wil wiz/om it may con/cern,.-

Be it known that I, CHAnLEs D. l'nviN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Skimmers for Blast-Furnaces, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in skimmers and trou hs for blast furnaces, and the invention has or its primary object the provision ol' novel means for conveying the residue of a skimmer trough to molds or ladles, thereby dispensing with a side gate heretofore used in a trough for removing the residue and forming pigs or pieces of iron It has been the practice, to provide a trough for conveying molten metal from a blast furnace to suitable molds or ladles and to provide a trough with a dam or bridge, to

retard the flow of the metal and permit oi'- kcinders and foreign matter being removed from the surface of the metal. The use of a dam or bridge always prevented a certain quantity ol' molten metal from leaving the trough. 'lroughs have therefore been provided with side gates, through which the molten metal passes into earthen troughs and molds for forming pigs` of the molten metal. This practice, always necessitated considerable space atene side of the skimming trough, and required the attention et' three or four attendants in building and constructing the earthen troughs and molds for the reception of the residue molten metal. Considerable time and labor is lost in maintaining the earthen troughs and molds and in a great many instances, the forming of pigs at the side of the l,skimming trough has increased the waste product of a blast furnace causing a loss of many tons of molten metal. d,

To obviate the above defects in the present system of skimming and conveying molten metal to suitable molds or ladles, I have devised a novel means for retarding and checking the flow of molten metal through the trough, at the same time releasing the retarded metal at any time desired, thereby dispensing with the formation of pigs in the earthen molds at one side of the trough, and greatly facilitating the work performed when skimming molten metal.

- complish the above results will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and ref lei-ring to the drawing accompanying this application, like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which: l l

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trough constructed in accordance with my invention, liig. 2 is a plan of the same, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the movable section or gate of the skimmer of the trough, and Fig. 4 is a similar view of a movable auxiliary skim- To put my invention into practice, I construct my improvcd trough of a channel shaped bar 1, which is preferably made of cast iron and may be of any desired length. One of the side walls 2 of the trough is made of a greater thickness than the remainder of the wall, at its one end, as indicated at 3 forming a vertical shoulder 4.

'lhe bottom 5 of the trough is provided with a dam or bridge 6 having an inclined outer end or side 7. The bridge or dam 6 is approximately one-half the height of the side walls 2 and 8 and said bridge extends from the side Wall 8 into close proximity to the side wall 2, leaving a narrow passa e Way 9. ln the passage way 0 is adapted to 't a movable section or gate 10 consisting of a head 16 having an upwardly extending hook 12, b which the section or gate is manipulate In placing the section or gate within the passage way 9, ball or `lire clay 14 together with sand is used for firmly securing the gate within the passage wa to revent a leakage between said gate, t e si e-wall 2 and the dam or bridge 6.

In close proximity to the dam er bridge 6 the side wall 8 is provided with a vertically disposed slot 15 extending in close, roximity to the bottom 5 of the trough. n the slot 15 is mounted a gate 16 having a hook 17 by which the same 1s manipulated. This gate is also held within the slot 15 by clay and sand 18 which forms a tight connection be- IOO IIO

- its ends is tween the gate andthe side walls of the slot 15. 'lhe slde walls 2 and 8 are also provided with verticall disposed slots 19, 19, said side walls being formed with vertical enlargements 20, 20, forming guide ways in conjunction with the slots 19, 19 for a skimmer 21. The skimmer 21 is provided with outwardly extending lugs 22, 22 adapted to rest u on the top o' the enlargements 20, 20, w 'e the body portion of the skimmer is supported transversely of the trough within the slots 19, 19. The skimmer intermediate rovided with an u wardly extending hoo i or handle 23 by which theLskimmer may be easily manipulated;

Reference will now be had to an auxiliary skimmer 24, which islused when the gate 10 is removed. In order'. that the gateI can be easily removed from the passage way 9, I' provide the thickest portion 3 of the wall 2 with a revoluble stirrup 25 in which is ivoted a lever 26 having a hook-shaped end) 37 to engage in the hook 12 of the gate 10. By lowering the free end of the lever 26, the gate 10 can be raised and swung to one side.

The skimmer 24 is detachably suspended from the hook shaped end 28 of a lever 29, said lever being suitably suspended adjacent to the trou h 1, preferably from the frame work of the uilding in which the trou h is located. 'Ihe skimmer 24 has a lower eveled edge 30 and a projection 31.7 When the gate 10 is removed, the skimmer 24 is adapted to lie against the bridge or dam 6, the projection 31 thereof bearing against the shoulder 4 and preventing the molten metal from twisting the skimmer side wise.

. In practice,.the molten metal is adapted to flow within the trou h 1 and overiow the dani or bridge 6, saidv am or bridge servin to retard the molten metal until the meta is raised within the trough to a sufficient height to b e engaged by a skimmer 21, said skimmer preventin cinders and all foreign matter carried by t e surface of the molten metal from passing over the bridge 6 and into the molds or ladles into which the molten metal passes. After the cinders and foreign matter has been removed from the molten metal contained within the trough 1, the section or gate 10 is removed to permit of the residue molten metal within the trough passing into the ladles or molds at the lower end of the trough, thereby dispensing with the formin of pigs at the side of the trough as was erteofore the common practice.

As the metal passes through the passage way 9, the skimmer 24 is gradually lowered,

until the trough is empty, the skimmer thoroughly retarding all cinders and foreign matter that may have escaped the skimmer 21.

I have provided the gate 16, however, as auxilia means for removing any portion of v.the resi ue contained Within thetrough, but

consisting of a channel-shaped trough, a bridge arranged transversely of said trough and forming a dam, a movable gate mounted between the end of said bridge and one of the side walls of said trough, a stirrup revolubly mounted upon one of theside walls of said A trough, a lever pivoted in said stirrup and engaging said gate, the other side wall of said trough having a slot formed therein, a ate detachablyk mounted in said side wal a skimmer arranged transversely of said `trough in close proximity to said bridge, an

auxiliary skimmer movably mounted in said trough, and means to move said auxiliary skimmer, substantially as described.

2. A skimmer trough for a blast furnace consisting of a channel-shaped trough, a

brid e arranged transversely Aof said trough and orming a dam, a movable gate mounted between the end of said bridge and one of the side walls of said trough, the other side wall of said trough having a slot formed therein, a gate detachably mounted in ysaid side wall, -a skimmer arranged transversely of. said trough, an auxiliary skimmer suspended in said trough, and means to move the first mentioned gate, substantially as described.

3. A skimmer trough for a blast furnace consisting of a channel-shaped trough, a bridge arranged transversely of said trough, and forming a dam, al movable gate mounted between the end of said bridge and one of the side walls of said trough, the other side wall of said trough having a slot formed therein, a gate detachably mounted in said side wall, a skimmer arranged transversely of said trough in close proximity to said bridge, substantially as described.

' 4. A skimmer for blast furnaces,embodying a channel-shaped trough, a bridge arranged transversely ol" said trough and forming a dam adapted to partially close said trough, a gate detachably mounted between IIO the end of said bridge and one of the side vof a trough, a dam extending partly across the end of said bridge, and one of the side walls of said trough, and a skimmer detachably supported transversely of said trough in close proximity to said bridge, substantially as described.'

6. A skimmer for molten metal consisting of a channel-shaped trough, a dam or bridge mounted in the bottom of said trough, a gate adapted to iit between the end of said dam or bridge and the adjacent wall of the trough, and skimmers supportedin said trough, substantially as described.

7. A'skimmer for molten metal consisting of a channel-shaped trough, adam or bridge mounted in the bottom of said trough, a gate adapted to fit between the end of said dam or bridge and the adjacent wall of the trough, and a skimmer'bar mounted transversely of said trough, substantially as described.

8. A skimmer for molten metal consisting said trough, a gate tting between the end of the dam, and the adjacent side of the trough, and an adjustable skimmer bar arranged transversely of the trough.

9. A skimmer for molten metal consisting of a trough, a dam extending partly across said trough, a gate -fitting between the end of said dam and the adjacent side of the trough, and a vertically adjustable skimmer bar extending transversely of the trough, and having end lugs to support the bar upon the sides of the trough.

1 O. A skimmer for molten metal consisting of a trough, a dam extending partly across said trough, a gate fitting between the end of the dam and the adjacent side of the trough, and skimmers arranged transversely of the trough. l

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.v

CHARLES D. IRVlN.

Witnesses:

MAX H. SRoLovITz, A. J. TRIGG. 

